The Rise of the Golden Phoenix
by Markanovanlink
Summary: Heero, Duo, Trowa and Wufei are all warriors in a mythical world full of danger, monsters, and gods. They embark on a journey to capture the Golden Phoenix and rescue the Prince of Sandrock. 3x4 and 1x2.
1. It was said

Same stuff applies, I dont own the names of anything or anyone I am just writing something for fun.

AU, fantasy, and action - Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei, are all warriors in a mythical world full of danger, monsters, and gods. They embark on a journey to capture the Golden Phoenix and rescue the Prince of Sandrock. 1x2 and 3x4

**The rise of the Golden Phoenix**

Heat swells the desert sands as four creatures make their way through the sun scorched Earth. Powerful creatures tamed by the most talented warriors on earth, run their way single file through the desert with ease.

The first creature was a radiating white horse with matching feather wings. The horse had three horns running up its head that curved towards her rider. The rider was a tanned youth with messy black hair and cobalt eyes. The tanned youth's only weapon was a double edge battle axe which was firmly strapped to his back. It is said that this warrior went to the land of the gods and stole one of the daughters of Pegasus, the father of all winged horses. It is also said that this warrior could command the rains and thunder while riding her.

The second creature was a pitch black two-headed dog the size of a horse. The evil two headed beast had long bat wings that were folded under its rider. Its rider was a handsome youth with violet eyes and long brown hair adorned in a braid that flowed in the wind as if it were the tail of the beast. It is said that this warrior is the son of the god of death and was given one of Cerberus's sons as a gift. Cerberus is the three-headed dog with a snake for a tail that guards the gate to Hell. It is also said that this warrior could steal and capture souls with his scythe.

The third beast was a loin with the face and wings of an eagle. Its green eyed rider was a tall youth with hair that covered half his face even in the wind. It is said that this warrior is able to communicate with all animals, beasts and monsters. While on a journey, the youth came across a griffin having trouble given birth. He tried all he could to save her and her baby but the mother died. After burying her, he took care the baby griffin and rise him as his own. It is also said that he was a great marksman with a bow and arrow and once he killed a hundred men with daggers that are always concealed in his cloak.

The last monster slithered behind the other creatures. A raven haired youth rode on a huge snake like dragon with two wings being its only other limbs. It is said that this warrior carried a sword made from dragon bones and teeth. He was the slayer of dragons until he killed a dragon that was only trying to protect her egg. Feeling the injustice of the slaying he decided to care for the egg. Vowing never to kill another dragon the youth raise the baby dragon as his own. It is also said that he could seal away lost souls into golden gundamium medallions.

These four warriors united by war swore to keep the innocent safe from creatures of mass destruction.

The Sandrock Palace was their destination. A kingdom that was plagued by a legend. Not just any legend a great legend of a Arabian Prince taken from his palace by the Golden Phoenix. It was said that after the Sultan died that his son would take his throne and peace would reign for 40 years. After the Sultan's death, the Golden Phoenix attached the kingdom and scorched the palace. The Prince was taken prisoner by the Phoenix. The Golden Phoenix attacks the kingdom every four days on the fourth hour of that day.

The riders came to a halt at the gates of the Kingdom. "So do you think the legend is true?" The warrior of the dog-headed beast asked the others.

"I don't know, but if it is I cant wait to defeat it." Answered the youth with cobalt eyes.

"Is that all you think about Heero, is defeating this and destroying that? Shinigami I am glad you not that old beast cus Heero would try to beat you up, yes he would. I would never let anything happen to my special guardian of hell, no I wouldn't…"

"Duo!" Heero yelled at the other boy to get his attention. Duo would often talk to his two-headed friend when the others ignored him or when he wanted to get on the other's nerves. "The mission, we were given a job to eliminate this creature." With that said Heero jumped down off his horse holding a golden medallion in his hand and yelled, "Wing return." The winged horse jumped into the air and seem to shrink into a beam of light coming from the medallion until it vanished into the surface of the jewelry. The golden medallion now had a embossed impression of Wing on it.

"Nataku, return." The winged dragon did the same as Wing as just done into his master's medallion. The raven haired warrior placed his medallion under his white tunic and turned towards Duo. "Please put that dog of yours away."

"Wufei, he likes you. Why are you so mean to my baby. Shinigami, return. I don't see you rushing Trowa to put his pet away." At the mention of his name, Trowa jumped down from his griffin.

"Nanashi, return." Was all the tall youth said as he made his way next to Heero.

"So lets go, I am really hungry and sleepy and tired and my butt hurts and no one is listening to me cause you all are walking away. Hey wait up." With that our warriors walk into the Kingdom of Sandrock.

"The common folk seem spooked about something." Duo noticed how all the people were rushing to put up all their belongings inside. As the four walked through the city they saw no carts, vendors, barrels or any type of clutter in the streets at all. "Neat town."

"Well, if the Golden Phoenix attacks every four days I guess there would be nothing to leave outside due to the fear of losing it in a fire." Wufei chimed in as the noise of the kingdom died down with vacancy. "The palace is straight ahead maybe the Sultan can tell us more before that creature arrives." The other warriors nodded and made their way to the palace.

The palace would have been beautiful it weren't for the burnt parts of it. The four warriors walked up to the guards and introduced themselves and waited for their audience with the Sultan. The guards lead the young men down many corridors until they reached the throne room where the Sultan was. The Sultan was a short and round dark skinned man with a small black goatee. His chubby chest was exposed through his golden and white vest. His voice was very deep and husky. "So you are the warriors I have sent for. My kingdom has been under attack ever since the passing of my brother, the former Sultan. This fiery creature has killed our prince and burnt our lands. We have no defense against its onslaught. Are you capable of handling such a beast."

"Your majesty, we are more than capable. When was the last time the beast attacked?" Heero spoke while on one knee as he took a mental note that the Sultan believed the Prince was dead.

"Three sunrises ago. The beast attacks every four sunrises. Since you have came from afar we expect you to rest and prepare yourselves for his attack in the morning. You will see what my people have been enduring in the last four months. Take these warriors to their rooms and let them rest and continue your preparations for the sunrise attack. Good evening to you all." With that the Sultan was gone. The four boys were rushed into a huge room filled with flush pillows and four beds with colorful curtains draping from them. The four youths exhausted from their trip went to sleep in order to wake for the sunrise show.

The green eyed warrior leaned against the only window in the room as he stared at the star fading sky. Trowa was always the first one up and about. He could never truly sleep. He was haunted by a past of killing and torture. He had no emotions towards taking lives but it bothered him when his eyes were closed. Just as Trowa noticed the first rays of the sun, the palace shook with a tremendous force that woke all the warriors in the room. All rushed to the side of Trowa to see the commotion. It was beautiful, the golden and orange streaks that illumined the sky. The beast was magnificent. A mountain size ball of fire shaped like a bird headed towards the castle, towards the window. Someone yelled get down as all but one warrior hit the deck. Trowa was drawn towards the beast in a strong trance that cause him to look and reach further out the window.

"Tro what in the name of Hell are you doing?" Duo went to get up to grab Trowa but Heero held him back. "Let me go, he will get hurt."

"No, he knows what he is doing. He always does." Heero shouted back as the palace continued to shake with an earthquake like force.

"Who are you?" Trowa whispered to himself as the creature approached. The Phoenix stopped dead in its tracks and screeched so loud that all the glass in the room shattered. All the warriors covered their ears except Trowa. After the screeching stopped, the Phoenix simply vanished. The boys got up from their positions on the floor and noticed a unconscious Trowa on the floor.

>>>

So tell me what you guys think. If you don't like it that's cool, but if you do please review and I will put up the other parts.


	2. Sandrock Palace

Okay here is the second part of the story, I hope this is better than the last one. Tell me if you like and I will keep it on the GO!

"…" Talking

'…' Thoughts

/…/Flashbacks

**The rise of the Golden Phoenix Part 2**

A vision of a fair-skinned young man with his eyes closed laid upon a floor of pure gold. The young man's hair matched the sunrays that shined in from the only window in the gold-plated room. The rounded room had no corners and no doors. His body was very toned and would have been flawless if not for the lone scar that travel left of his belly button, across his side and ended at his back.

A breath taking beauty under a spell. "Who are you?" Trowa couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, all he knew was he wanted to reach out and wake him. As he tried to approach the sleeping form, a blinding force of light stopped him. The heated light was so hot that he found it hard to breathe. Than suddenly, everything went black. The void of nothingness had engulfed him.

"Trowa, speak to me! Get your tall ass up!" The tall warrior cracked open a green eye only to see the mad face of the Prince of Death. "What the Hell is wrong with you? Did you see that thing, it could have used you as a toothpick, but no, you wanted to stick your silly head out the window." Duo continued to speak as Trowa willed his body to sit up.

"What thing, what happened?" The others seem beyond shock by his admission. Wufei was next to stand in front of him. Checking his eyes and making sure there were no signs of distress to his comrade.

"The Golden Phoenix. He was headed toward the palace but stopped his attack and vanished." The ex-slayer of dragons helped Trowa up and pointed to the window. "You fainted after it vanished." Trowa's eyes narrowed with that and he turned to Heero who only nodded back with clarity.

"Why do you two communicate like that? It gets on my nerves." Duo yelled as he threw up his hands up in the air and walked towards the window. He hated that Trowa and Heero used facial gestures and actions instead of words. He was a very vocal person and hated silence. "Is this how this thing attacks? I don't see what all the fuss is about." Just then, there was a lot of commotion outside the palace. People were celebrating in the streets of the kingdom. "Well, I guess it isn't." Duo turned towards the others, "So you guys ready to celebrate?" With that said all the warriors got dressed and headed outside.

The streets were filled with joy, tears and laughter as the people celebrated the departure of the Phoenix. The warriors stood on a balcony overlooking the crowd. "So what did you do Trowa?" Trowa was shocked that the question came from Heero. Heero repeated himself, something he rarely ever did and placed a stern look on his fellow comrade.

Trowa felt himself sigh as he remembered what he saw. Not sure if he was willing to share this event with the others he had know for many years, he shook his head. "I did nothing. I am not even sure why I blacked out like that."

"Were you communicating with it or something? You are the only one who knows what our pets are really saying or feeling and you know how to soothe many a beast. I am just impressed that you asked it to leave…and it did. Man, how come you never did that before? I mean all the sweat and blood we have been going threw…" Duo's mouth shut close as he received a slap in the back of the head.

"Silence!" Heero yanked hard on Duo's braid to keep him from retaliating. Before Duo had a chance to recover, the palace guards came upon the balcony.

"So these are the so called warriors." A large group of men, whom all possessed a body built like a brick house with long curved swords on their sides, entered. Each soldier wore black pants and black boots with a red vest that exposed skin covered rock formations. Tanned skin painted the exposed surface of each soldier while black and brown tinted hair fanned from the top of their head to the bottom of their chin. The tallest guard stood before the others and announced his presence. "I am Rashid. I am the captain of the Guardsmen of Sandrock. We have served the palace for many years. We have protected the lands of Sandrock with our lives. We don't appreciate little boys coming to save our Kingdom."

Wufei was disgusted by the insult. "Little boys! We are more man then you will ever be. You speak with no knowledge of us and yet you try to doubt our ability. You speak through ignorance and not wisdom. Let me correct your concept of us 'little boys.' We have fought in wars started by your ancestor's ancestors. We have protected kingdoms and great cities from monsters long ago extinct. We are here because your Sultan and your kingdom has called us which means you and your guards have not lived up to your titles. Do not blame us for your follies." His stern words caused anger to erupt into the soldier's eyes. The Chinese warrior stood a height of five feet and six inches in front of a man who could be seen as seven feet tall.

"You dare to disgrace my guardsmen and me!" Rashid raised his sword two inches away from Wufei's face. The other warriors stood still behind their comrade with no concern on their faces. Wufei finally lifted his index finger to the sharp point of the sword and pushed it away from his face.

"You disgrace yourselves." With that said, he turned towards his comrades turning his back on the soldier. With anger present in the entire giant's form, Rashid swung his sword towards the small warrior. The other three warriors never blinked as they watched Wufei's right hand, as he flipped his wrist behind his back with his own sword causing Rashid's to come to a defensive stop. Before the giant could blink, Wufei's blade was cold against his neck.

A double edge sword that was half the length of its owner was pressed harder against the other's skin as Wufei held the hilt made of dragon teeth and bone. "You dare attack me while my back was turned. You disgust me and your title as captain. I would slit your throat if not for the fact that your disrespecting blood would stain my sword. Compose yourself and inform your Sultan we would like an audience with him." Wufei withdrew his sword and stared at the other soldiers. The soldiers had never seen anything like that before, no one has ever challenged their captain and walked away alive.

Feeling the staring on his back Rashid shouted orders to his soldiers and watched as they filed off the balcony and back in the palace. He turned his glare back to the 'little boys.' "I will inform my Sultan." With anger still in his eyes, he left out the same as the others.

There was a moment of silence until laughter filled the balcony. Duo was in tears with laughter as he held on the rail of the balcony for support. "Oh wow, Wufei that was great. Really it was." Heero chuckled a little at the antics. Trowa's face was impassive like always but he managed a small smile. Wufei huffed in disgust and walked towards the balcony. He scanned the city with his almond shaped eyes and turned back towards Trowa.

"Why didn't the Golden Phoenix attack?"

"I don't know. To be honest I never even saw the Phoenix." The others turned and looked at Trowa in disbelief. He began to lean on the rail with his fore arms. His tall frame causing his back to arch due to the small height of the rail. His reddish brown hair was neatly cut in the back but the top always ran towards his face falling off his forehead long enough to cover an eye or two. With his head down those same strands covered his entire face. With a sigh, Trowa spoke again. "I had a vision."

Before Trowa had a chance to speak again, a guardsman entered on to the balcony. "The Sultan will see you now. You are to follow me to his meeting chambers." The warriors shrugged and followed the soldier.

Trowa's mind began to race about the young man he saw. 'Who are you? Could you be the missing Prince? Why do I feel like I need to wake you so bad. Every time I close my eyes, I see you. Who are you?'

"Trowa." Duo had poked him to get his attention. "Don't you think that Sultan is kinda fat to be sitting in that chair?" Trowa couldn't help it but the other had made him laugh softly. Duo couldn't believe his luck after all these years he never heard Trowa laugh, not once. He could remember when he first met Trowa. It was almost a century ago.

/A small boy about ten ran and hid under the front staircase of an old house. "Where are you boy? Wait till I find you, you will be sorry you did that." The small boy hugged himself and wondered why this was happening to him. He had only meant to stop her and not kill her. He had always wished that his adopted parents would just die. They beat him for no reason at all. All he did was close his eyes and put his hands up in defense when his mother went to beat him with a broom. The blow never came; instead, the old woman fell back to the ground with her eyes rolled in the back of her head. The young boy opened his eyes and screamed in shock at what he saw. As his father entered the room, he did the only thing he could think of, run.

A ruff hand grabbed the scared boy by the hair. "How could you after all we did for you. We should have never taken you in. We should have left you next to that river where we found you. I will kill you for what you have done." The man threw the boy to the ground and started to beat and kick him. The man picked up a near by rack in the yard and started to pound on the small body in the grass. Growing tired of using the rack the man fell on top of the boy and started to choke the life from the him. Darkness started to engulf the small person until he could feel the weight of the man fall on top of him. Struggling to breathe he noticed that the man wasn't moving. He pushed the weight off him and stared at the body on the ground. An arrow was neatly placed between the man's eyes.

"Are you okay?" The voice shocked the small boy out of his skin. He turned around slowly only to see a green eyed boy with a bow and a bag of arrows on his back. The boy was taller and looked a little older. "Can you speak?" The scared boy nodded causing his long chestnut color braid to sway.

"Thank you…um…my name is Duo."

"Well Duo, are you okay? Can you stand?"

"Yeah…um…what is your name?"

"I don't have one." There was an awkward silence for a while until the unnamed boy helped Duo up as Duo informed the other of the man and woman. The green-eyed boy narrowed his eyes and told Duo to get all his belongings together. After Duo was all packed and out of the house, the other boy set fire to the house and the land. Together they left and traveled to the next town and only stopped in front of the village's only church.

"This is the village of Maxwell. There are people here who can help you and take care of you." The taller boy turned to leave until Duo grabbed his arm.

"Will I ever see you again?"

The other boy was taken a little back and nodded. "If I am still around." With that, the taller boy was gone.

Years had gone by as Duo was raised in the church, only to discover that he wasn't all human. A demon had come to him in a dream and told him of his real mother and father. His mother was a beautiful maiden that the God of Death fell in love with. He had left Hell and came to where she lived. He came to her in human form and swept her off her feet. During their moments of happiness, a war started in Hell, and he had to return leaving his pregnant love behind. Before she was able to give birth, the forces opposing Hell destroyed her village and she was forced into hiding. After giving birth on the bank of the river of souls, two thieves robbed and killed her. Noticing the baby as they were leaving, they took him in. With the thoughts of selling him when he was old enough, they raised him like a slave.

Duo accepted his new title as the Prince of Death and followed the demon to Hell. He learnt the ways and rules of Hell. He realized that he had the power to cast out evil souls and send them to their rightful place in Hell. It was only than that he figured out what happened to the woman who use to care/beat him. Being the son of the God of Death, he was able to see the soon to be souls of Hell through his father's Mirror of Faith. The Mirror of Faith showed the givings and misgivings of souls.

He saw the one whom saved his life in the mirror. He was so young and destined to be a resident of Hell. Swearing that he would never let this soul become accustom to a place like this, Duo called upon his new best friend, the son of the God of War, to journey with him. Duo and his friend traveled long and far to come to the lost soul's dwellings. The boy now a young man was a member of a group of rouge mercenaries. It angered Duo to see how some of his comrades would treat him and how the young man never seemed to express any type of emotion. Duo appeared before the young man, who now called himself Trowa, and offered him eternal youth and friendship if he would accompany him and the Prince of War on their journeys. Trowa agreed and has never left his side since./

Duo thought about how much Trowa's friendship has meant and how he has never been able to break through all the barriers that surround his tall friend. Trowa was so secretive when it came to his past and/or emotions. 'One day my friend, the walls you built will be knocked down.' Duo finally turned his attention back to the cubby Sultan and laughed at the joke he had just told Trowa. 'He really is fat.'

"How did you warriors do it? Is the creature gone for good?" The Sultan was so excited that his belly seem to juggle with each word. Duo tried hard not to laugh aloud.

Heero kneeled before the Sultan with his eyes focused on the ruler's eyes. "We have done nothing your majesty. We do not know why the Golden Phoenix didn't attack."

The Sultan face frowned as he spoke. "I didn't pay you to do nothing. That thing has killed our Prince and terrorized our Kingdom…"

"You say your Prince is dead, we were under the notion that he had been captured." All the warriors stared at Trowa as he approached the Sultan and kneeled before him. "Your majesty, I had a vision that may have been why the Phoenix stopped its attack on the Palace. In my vision, I saw a young blonde man being held prisoner. Does this sound like your Prince?" He had never interrupted anyone before but had the strong urgency to do so.

Before the Sultan had a chance to answer, a screeching scream echoed through the Palace. All eyes turned towards the large balcony of the meeting chamber. As the warriors and guardsmen made their way onto the balcony, the Golden Phoenix could be seen flying in the distance over the desert in a circle. The fiery bird sped up its maneuvers until there was a ring of fire hovering over the desert. After the blazing ring began to lower and fade away into the sands below, a golden temple appeared.

Before anyone could process what just occurred, Trowa took out his medallion and held it in the air. "Nanashi, come forth." The impression of Nanashi on the medallion lit up as a beam of light came from the round metal. The creature seem to slowly grow as it emerged from the beam of light. The beast landed on the balcony and spread out its wings to allow access to his back. Trowa jumped on Nanashi as the beast started to flap its yellow and brown wings. Without a word, the warrior and his beast took off for the temple.

Heero turned towards the Sultan and Rashid saying, "We will help your Kingdom and find your Prince." With that, the other warriors called forth their creatures and took off in the direction of the temple.


	3. The Prince of Sandrock

AU, fantasy, and action - Okay here is the third part of the story, poor Quatre hasn't made his presence know. This chapter only focuses on him. I hope you like!

"…" Talking

'…' Thoughts

/…/ Flashbacks

…(#) Definition at the end of text

**The rise of the Golden Phoenix Part 3 The Prince of Sandrock**

Shaken fingers ran lines across the cold metal surface of the wall. 'How long have I been here?' With a heavy sigh, the owner of those fingers tried to will himself into a standing position. Using the cold golden wall for support, he was able to stand. 'Where has the window gone?' He realized that his only connection to the outside world was gone.

"You have taken my Father from me, my Kingdom and now my light." Each word was shouted in the dark room only to bounce back taunting echoes. He slammed his fists against the wall in frustration. "I am the Prince of Sandrock; I will not be denied my Kingdom, my birthright." The last words were almost a whisper. The Prince turned his back towards the wall and slowly slid down it. Looking into the dark hoping to see some kind of light or reflection, his thoughts drifted back to his Father's death.

/The festivities were going according to plans, but the Prince didn't want to partake in the activities. There were many royal visitors for dinner that evening and he felt overwhelmed. He listened to his father talk about his many wives and children. But no subject brought him greater joy than talking about his only son. "My son, Quatre, will rule this kingdom when I am gone and peace will reign for forty years. There will be battles and wars to keep the peace but my son will rule Sandrock with a just fist." The Sultan continued his admirations and never noticed the subject of his stories had disappeared.

Quatre snuck away without being seen. He loved his father but hated being the center of attention. He walked down the halls of the palace wondering why his uncle had not attended the dinner. 'Maybe he can tell me how to get out of future events like this?' The young Prince headed towards his uncle's room. Thoughts clouded his mind on the way. 'I wish I wasn't so different from everyone in the Kingdom. Maybe I would enjoy the festivities more. I just hate all the staring and whispering about me.'

The Prince was quite different from his people. No one in the Kingdom had skin as pale as his, eyes as blue as his and hair as bright as his. The people of the Kingdom referred to him as their Golden Prince. He didn't like it because it made him feel different. How was he to lead his people when he himself did not identify the pure traits of the Kingdom? "I don't deserve to be their Sultan."

The Golden Prince stopped in the hall and looked out of the window. It was a beautiful night; the moon hung high and mighty as it illuminated the palace. The stars seem to belly dance as they twinkled in the night sky. "Are you up there?" The Prince asked the question to the sky. "I wish I could have known you." Quatre longed to know about his real mother and why she was not able to be with him, raise him and love him.

No one in the Kingdom had ever seen her except for the Sultan himself. It was said that an angel came to visit the Sultan. He fell in love with her and convinced her into marriage. No one was allowed to see such a heavenly creature but the Sultan. The angel was kept in a locked and guarded bedroom made of gold and jade. Rumors that the angel was pregnant flew through the Kingdom. One day the Sultan opened the doors to the room; crying as he exited, he carried a small baby in his hands. The next day the Sultan ordered that the room be destroyed and removed completely from his palace. It was said that the angel was called back to Heaven due to her treason for having such a birth. Spending eternity never knowing the love of the other was the punishment for both mother and child.

Turning his gaze away from the night sky, the Prince continued on his quest to his uncle's room. Once outside the door, Quatre brushed all the bad thoughts out of his head so he could be fit to talk to his uncle. Before he could knock, he heard the voice of the Kingdom's High Priest. "The Phoenix consumes and destroys all. There is no way to predict what will happen. Are you sure?"

"If not that than poison. I don't care either way…did you hear that?" A terror alarm went off in Quatre. He didn't realize that he was even moving or running. After rounding a corner, he put his hands on his knees in order to catch his breath.

'My uncle, the High Priest and poison. This is treason talk but why. My uncle and my father love and respect each other. I must inform my father.' The Prince stood back up and walked back to the dinner. Once he entered the banquet hall, he saw his uncle seated next to his father. 'Well I will talk to my father when he is not around.'

The following day was trying for Quatre because he was not allowed to see his father. His father and uncle had spent the whole day together. He was told that the duties of the Kingdom were far more important than meeting with his son. The excuse was the same for the next two days. Feeling built up tension, the Prince decided to go to the training grounds.

"Young Prince, have you come to watch us spar?" Rashid smiled as he saw Quatre coming forth.

"No, I have come to spar with you."

"How about me cousin." A tall tanned man approached wearing circle frame shades. The man wore an open red vest that revealed years of training and black pants. As the man walked towards Quatre, he removed his red fez**(1)** from his head and tossed it on the ground.

"Abdul, I would love to spar with you." With that said, Quatre dropped his white cloak unto the sand leaving his upper body exposed to the sun. The Golden Prince untied the golden rope that held his white mantle on his head and tossed both head pieces to the ground. Standing barefoot in the sand, he adjusted his golden belt that held up his white fabric pants. He turned eyes, the color of pond water, toward Rashid and nodded. Extending his right arm out to his side, he turned his palm up as Rashid placed a long brown bo in it. The wooden rokushakubo**(2)** was six feet long. Twisting his wrist, he swung the rokushakubo around until it was tucked under his arm.

Quatre was very experienced in bojutsu, the martial art of bo wielding. A royal visitor from Japan came to the palace to offer new techniques to the Guardsmen. Quatre found himself always watching the martial artist in the gardens when he wasn't on the training grounds. Becoming aware of the Golden Prince's presence, he took Quatre on as a student and taught him aikido and bojutsu. After eight years, he was called back to Japan.

"How come you have never agreed to spar with me before?" Abdul pulled out his scimitar**(3)** by its brown hardwood handle. The long deeply curved blade reflected the sunlight into the Prince's eyes causing him to blink.

"I didn't want to hurt my uncle's only child." Quatre couldn't help the smirk that graced his face.

"Hurt me? You jest to much my little cousin. It is I who should not want to hurt you. How easy am I to be? You are, after all the Golden Prince."

With narrowed aqua eyes, the Prince moved his head from side to side causing his joints to crack. Holding the rokushakubo with both hands, he slammed one end into the ground causing the bo to stand upright on its own after letting go. "As Prince of Sandrock, I give Abdul, cousin of royal blood, permission to fight me as if I were his enemy. I declare that this fight will only end by submission of the fallen fighter. No one is to interfere with this fight no matter the outcome. Is everyone understanding of my commands?" All the guards and onlookers all nodded. "Good. See cousin, I am your equal in this fight."

"Until you are on the ground begging me to stop, that is." Abdul smirked as he pointed his scimitar at Quatre. "Shall we begin, O' Equal One?"

"Lets." Quatre used his right hand to remove his rokushakubo from the ground. With that hand midway on the bo, he held his staff at his waist with the front end angled down. Using his free hand, he taunted his cousin into the first attack. The Prince placed his right knee into the sand behind his left foot and slid his right hand down the bo, bringing that end to land in the sand. While kneeling in this manner, his left hand was placed on the higher end of the rokushakubo. Abdul came charging towards the Golden One with his sword in tow.

Quatre leaped up from his position, removed his left hand, and slid the bo through his right, causing the rokushakubo to thrust towards Abdul's scimitar. The bo and sword collided causing both fighters to retreat into defensive stances. Abdul held his sword with one hand in front of him while Quatre held his bo with two. The royal cousin stepped towards the Prince and attacked. The Prince whipped the rokushakubo forward at the scimitar from his back hand with a quick twist of the hips. Quatre allowed the sword to spin his bo away as he controlled the rotation. The now lowered sword, allowed the fighter to swing the bo on his opponent's head. Abdul's glasses fell down on the sand as he fell forward a bit after the blow. Trying his best to maintain his balance he could feel himself and his sword go crashing to the ground.

Quatre had swung his staff down on the sword causing his cousin to fall completely forward. He smacked the fighter's right hand with the tip of the rokushakubo and swept the scimitar out of reach. Taking the edge of the bo and placing it under Abdul's chin, Quatre made him stand up by applying pressure to his neck. Before Abdul could completely stand, Quatre thrust his bo into his neck driving him into the sand on his back.

Standing over the pinned down fighter with his rokushakubo, Quatre stood triumphal and addressed his cousin. "Do you yield?" The wordless answer angered Quatre. With one foot placed over his cousin he brought his staff up and started to thrust the bo towards the other's face.

"I yield!" Abdul felt himself screaming his answer as the bo approached his face. The bo landed two inches next to his cheek in the sand.

"I know."

With that, Quatre pulled his bo up and walked towards Rashid. The crowd was cheering and howling as Abdul got up and dust himself off. After handing his rokushakubo to Rashid, he picked up his cloak and mantle and headed towards the palace. Abdul watched as his cousin walked back to the palace. 'You will pay for humiliating me.'

Back at the palace, Quatre made his way to his father's bedroom. He had a dreadful feeling. 'Oh father please be okay.' The young Prince burst through the doors only to see his uncle and his father's first wife, Lady Une. Lady Une ran towards the Prince and fell to his feet.

"Your father is deathly ill; I know not what to do my Golden Prince. He started feeling sick after lunch." Quatre reached down and helped the woman, who raised him as her own, up.

"Royal Mother, you need never to bow to me. I will see to my father. Please send for the healer and the High Priest. Royal Uncle, I need a moment alone with my father. Can you help Lady Une with my requests?"

"Yes, my Golden Prince." The two left and closed the doors behind them. Quatre flew to his father's side.

"Father please, talk to me." Quatre squeezed his father's hand. "I needed to talk to you for so long and now I fear that it is too late. I heard your brother and the High Priest speak of treason. I fear you may have been poisoned."

"My son, I fear you are right. Your Mother is telling me I don't have much time." Quatre eyes widen with tears as his father's shaky voice continued. "She is telling me my time is now and for you to beware of the great fiery beast. Do not let the beast consume your heart. Do not let vengeance…consume…patience…remember…love." The last words sounded like Death himself speaking the words the dying soul couldn't. The tears had finally fallen. His father was gone. His loving father was gone. An anger over took him as his thoughts raced.

"Golden Prince, you have summoned us." The High Priest and the healer entered the room followed behind by Lady Une. The Prince stood up and looked as if nothing had happened at all. With an impassive face, he turned towards the three.

"I have no more need of you healer, my father is gone." Quatre turned to the High Priest. "Start the rituals for his burial." Quatre ignored Lady Une's sobs and left the room. Once in his own room, he fell to his knees. 'I will avenge your death, father. Patience is the key.'

The Kingdom mourn for their Sultan for four days. During this time, Quatre locked himself away in his room. It wasn't until the fourth sunrise when the Golden Prince stood on the palace balcony. Everyone in the Kingdom came to hear and see their Prince speak. The High Priest was the first to address the crowd. "Good sunrise to all of Sandrock. I am blessed to be here today to announce The Anointing of our new Sultan. In four days, our Golden Prince will become the Golden Sultan of Sandrock." The crowd erupted in cheers as the High Priest stepped back to allow his Prince to speak.

"People of Sandrock, our time for mourning is over. Joy and Peace is upon us. Go and prepare yourselves for all the future joyous celebrations of our Kingdom. Go in Peace." The Golden Prince left the balcony and retreated to his soon to be throne. He stood in front of the throne and traced the jade and golden images with his fingers. 'In four days I will expose the treason that has taken you from me.'

"Golden Prince, may I have a word with you?"

Never turning to face his uncle, he spoke. "I have no words I wish to hear at this time. Leave me."

"I can not my Prince. We have many matters to discuss…"

"Do you not know your place?" Quatre finally turned around to look his uncle in the eye. "Will you dare disobey a order from your Prince."

"I am sorry my Prince. I…we don't talk like uncle and nephew no more. I loved your father, my brother, and I wish to amend the barrier that has surrounded us ever since his death."

'You lying dog.' Quatre narrowed his eyes and turned his sight back to the throne. "My father's death has made me a little less talkative than normal. Please respect that I am still in mourning. I will come around on my due time, not yours. Is that understood?"

"Yes my Prince." The Royal Uncle bowed his head and took his leave.

The Kingdom celebrated the days leading to The Anointment with parties and festivities. The night before the fourth sunrise, the royal family enjoyed music, dancing and entertainment. The Golden Prince sat next to his cousin as the belly dancers pranced around the royal court. "So who will be your first wife? Will it be one of these belly women." Abdul started laughing as he impersonated the dancers. Quatre let a little of the pressure ease off his shoulders as he smile at his cousin's antics.

"Have fun my cousin. I am going to retire. I have a big day tomorrow." Quatre left the party and walked towards his room but stopped in the hallway to look out the window. 'Not a star in the sky, is that an omen?' With a sigh, he went to his room and fell asleep.

The palace's front garden was full of people and royalty. The stairs to the palace were decorated with flowers and jewelry from all over Sandrock. The night sky was fading as the sun was getting ready to grace the sky. All the royal court had exited the palace and stood on the landing of the front stairs. The High Priest and the Royal Uncle stayed inside to prepare the last minute adjustments for The Anointment. Such a joyous occasion, but the Golden Prince felt a panic rush over him. The pain pierced his heart and caused him to fall to his knees clutching his chest. Rashid was the first to reach Quatre.

"My Golden Prince, are you okay."

"No, Rashid tell everyone to get out of here. I sense danger, great danger."

"What do you mean my…" The words were interrupted by a ear piercing screech as a fireball ripped through the sky. People began to scream and run to get away from flames that were now engulfing the garden. The fireball seem to form into a shape of a burning bird. Every wing flap caused tiny flames to hit the Kingdom. The Guardsmen tired their best to contain the beast by shooting arrows, throwing swords and knives at the bird. Every weapon burned before reaching the flamed monster.

Without warning the bird turned into a fireball again headed exactly towards the stairs of the palace and the Prince. Rashid tried to get to Quatre first, but he was to late. All that was left was a smoldering hole./

Sighing, the Golden Prince closed his eyes. 'How could all of this happened? Why didn't I react sooner? I knew of the poison and that bird. Now I am a prisoner of my own stupidity. I need to get out of here and set things right.' Quatre stood up again and faced the wall and punched it with all the strength he had. Cringing from the pain in his fist, he started to rub his knuckles with the other hand. 'Real smart. Now its bleeding.' Falling back onto the ground the Prince pulled his knees to his chest. Closing his eyes as he rested his head on his knees he sighed deeply. 'How am I to escape from a room with no exits?'

'Who are you?' Quatre's eyes flew open as he realized that someone was talking to him. The voice didn't come from the room but from his mind.

'Now is not the time to go crazy. I am the Prince of Sandrock.'

'I have been sent to rescue you my Prince.'

'Okay since I am going crazy I will entertain the thought. Who is to be my rescuer?' Quatre closed his eyes again only to see green eyes looking back at him.

'The name is Trowa, and I assure you, Golden Prince; you are not going crazy.' Before Quatre could response, he could feel the pain in his heart again. The pain was so excruciating that it caused him to passed out.

…**Um, was that okay or what… Tell what you think or I don't write no more…**

**(1) Fez - **flat-topped conical hat: a brimless felt hat shaped like a cone with a flat top, usually red with a black tassel, worn by men in eastern Mediterranean and North African countries - _Encarta ® World English Dictionary © _

**(2) Rokushakubo** - A full-size _bo. _In Japanese _roku_ means six, _shaku_ is a measurement of unit of about one foot in length, and _b_o means staff -_Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- __(Ro ku sha ku bo)_

**(3) Scimitar** - refers to a sword with a curved blade from western Asia (Middle East). The name "scimitar" is quite prevalent when speaking of Arabian swords. In reality, however, there is no such "historic sword" called a scimitar. The word "scimitar" is most likely a derivative from the Persian shamshir. Modern vendors sell _scimitars_ which are in fact fantasy blades with no historical bearing -_Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- __(Scim i tar)_


	4. Phoenix Prince

I love Gundam Wing. Oh, I do not own the G boys or the names I use in my fic because they belong to whoever made them. I sorry I don't know who you are.

What is in a name

I dont play the sue me game

If it is me you want to blame

Remember I dont have money cus I'm lame

AU, fantasy, and action - Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei, are all warriors in a mythical world full of danger, monsters, and gods. They embark on a journey to capture the Golden Phoenix and rescue the Prince of Sandrock. 3x4 and 1x2

This chapter is dedicated to Nolwe II, Wolfje, tyleet88, Maskelle, Yura Dark Angel of Death, Ai no miko500, RurouniTriv, Annoyerdanny, Solo, Sophonisba, Phantom MousE, D-chan, DemonikDreamer, and Sekari. Thank you for taking the time to review and encourage me to write more.

Special thanks to my beta reader: Sekari.

"…" Talking

'…' Thoughts

/…/ Flashbacks

**The rise of the Golden Phoenix Part 4**

**by Markanovanlink**

The heat of the sun felt like it was burning his skin the closer he got to the temple. Trowa bit his lip in pain as his hands ached from the hot sensation of Nanashi's fur and feathers. His grip on his precious Nanashi started to slip. Reluctantly, he redirected his gold and brown griffin to the ground. Jumping down from his beast, the tall warrior reached beneath his black cloak and pulled out a small brown canteen. He poured water on his hands as a white winged horse landed next to him.

"The heat getting to you too." Heero said while he dismounted Wing and reached for his own canteen. Trowa only nodded his answer as Heero started to pour water on his own hands. After drying his hands, he looked towards the sky and watched Duo and Wufei exchange bets on who could fly closer without given into the heat. Turning his gaze back to Trowa, he wondered why his comrade had been acting so impulsive today. Trowa was always the one to think before he acted.

As if reading his thoughts, Trowa gave him an answer. "I don't know why I have been acting like this. I had this strong urge to get to that temple. I feel like something is calling me, and for some reason I cant resist it."

"Is it the Prince?"

"I don't know," Trowa responded with a sigh. He sat in the sand and watched the flying dog and dragon race towards the temple. The two-headed hound would bark at the winged serpent when she got to close to him. Nataku ignored the beast and continue to get closer using her long snake like body to make circles around Shinigami. Trowa closed his eyes and listened to Duo, Wufei and their beasts argue. Trowa let his mind rest on the sleeping boy he saw in his vision. 'Who are you?' As he asked the question to himself, a new vision interrupted him. The sleeping boy's eyes were now open wide in shock. He could hear the boy talking about going crazy. Trowa felt like he was in the room with him.

As the boy spoke again, Trowa focused on his light blue eyes. "I am the Prince of Sandrock." Feeling the need to answer, he told the Prince that he had been sent to rescue him. He introduced himself and tried to assure the Golden Prince that he wasn't going crazy. When he tried to reach his hand out towards the blonde, a sharp pain shot through his head. The pain ripped the image of the young man from his mind.

Heero watched Trowa gripped his head with his hands. The action was so swift that it caused Trowa to fall backwards on the sand in pain. Heero rushed over to the tall warrior and fell to his knees in the sand. Heero tried to question his pain stricken comrade but the other had passed out. As Heero tried to wake Trowa, he could feel the wind stir from behind him as Shinigami landed in the sand.

"What happened?" Duo said as he ran towards Heero.

"He fainted again." Heero got up and watched Duo tend to the fallen boy. He felt ashamed of his feelings. Jealous feelings, that only came out when Duo fussed over Trowa. He never understood why he always felt like this. They all were friends, but Trowa and Duo were inseparable. The green-eyed mortal was like Duo's shadow. That is why he was surprised that Trowa would take off for the temple before Duo did. He was always two steps behind Duo, no matter what. Heero wasn't quite sure what he was jealous of. Was it their friendship? Or was it something else? Thoughts of his first meeting with Trowa flooded his mind.

/The Prince of War watched as the Prince of Death offered eternal youth and friendship to the dirty mortal. Heero really didn't like mortals even though he was half mortal himself. Dirty mortals killed his mother, his mortal mother.

Heero shook those thoughts away and watched his new best friend talk to the mortal. It was something about Duo that he couldn't resist. Ever since they became friends, he found himself giving in to Duo's every whim. When the Prince of Death wanted to hunt down a certain mortal, Heero tried everything to convince him not to. Duo wanted so badly to see him, that Heero finally gave in and helped his friend track down the boy.

Now that they had found him, how would he fit into their travels? Heero didn't want to protect that mortal from any dangers and didn't want Duo putting himself at risk to protect him either. 'Why does Duo want this mortal baggage following us?' Heero watched the ground as the three of them made their way down a rocky road.

"Heero, I am hungry." Duo started to whine as he latched his arms around Heero's neck. "You should pick some fruit for me and Trowa." Duo said with a smile as he released the other boy. Heero nodded with a curse under his breathe and walked towards a group of trees down the road. Duo turned towards Trowa and started to say something but was cut off by a rock that hit him in the back. Mad violet eyes glared looks of death towards the direction of that rock.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't two little lost girls. Do you ladies need a ride home?" Said a dark hooded man on a black horse. There were two other men on brown horses that laughed at his choice of words.

Duo spit on the ground and smirked at the man on the horse. "I would never lose my way coming from your mother's house." The two men on the brown horses laughed again, until the hooded man yelled for their silence.

"You are one disrespectful tramp. Someone should shut you up." The hooded man yelled as he approached Duo. Trowa stood to the left of Duo and never said a word or made a move during the whole altercation. The man jumped down from his horse and stared at the two boys. "I should kill you and your mute."

Duo was going to respond until a gush of wind hit him in the face. His eyes widen in shock as he looked at the tip of an arrow that was just centimeters away from his forehead. His eyes darted to the hand that had caught the arrow and then to the hooded man who was holding a crossbow. Duo never saw it coming; if it weren't for the green-eyed mortal he would have been dead. He didn't even see the man pull out a weapon or his new friend move. Trowa threw the arrow to the ground and stood in front of Duo. Duo couldn't see due to Trowa's height, but he could hear Heero's footsteps running towards them. By the time Heero got to where they were at, the hooded man laid on the ground with a dagger in his throat. The gargling of blood drowned out the sounds of the retreating horses. The other men rode away as quickly as they had appeared.

Both Princes watched as the tall youth walked silently towards the fallen body. Bending down on one knee he retrieved his dagger from the dead man's neck. As he wiped the blood off his dagger, Duo ran over to him and proclaimed that this was the second time he had saved his life.

It suddenly struck Heero as to why Duo wanted to find him. 'He was the one who saved him from those thieves all those years ago.' Heero may have misjudged this mortal. He found himself impressed by the clean kill./

Ever since that time, Heero started to struggle with the attention that Duo would give Trowa. 'After all these years, I still feel like this.' A hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He mentally cursed at himself for not noticing someone approaching him from behind. Wufei squeezed the Prince of War's shoulder and leant in close to his ear.

"I sense the fiery beast is responsible for this." Wufei whispered as he watched Duo put Trowa's head in his lap. "There are no entrances or stairs. There is however, a small opening at the top of the temple." Wufei sighed as he squeezed Heero's shoulder again. "When will you tell him how you feel?" The question caused Heero to snatch his shoulder away from the ex-dragon slayer. The raven-haired warrior smirked at the death glare he was receiving.

"What do you mean by that?" Heero said in a harsh whisper.

"I have seen how you look at him, watch him." Wufei's smirk turned into a full smile as he continued, "You should just marry him." The Chinese warrior barely had a second to draw his sword as a battle ax came crashing towards him. Holding Heero's ax at bay with his sword, the Wufei laughed. "Did I strike a nerve?" Using both hands to hold his sword he pushed the ax and its holder back. Each sharp metal edge made sparks until the weapons parted. Heero grunted and swung his double-sided ax so it would collide hard into Wufei's sword. The force caused the tip of both weapons to land in the sand.

A flash of metal streaked in between both warriors and crashed down on their weapons. A long curved silver blade trapped both weapons, leaving the warriors to look to the owner of the scythe's long wooden handle. "What the Hell is wrong with you two. Am I the only one with sense around here?" Duo found himself yelling out in frustration. Pulling his scythe back in the air and over his shoulder, he yelled again. "Put your toys away. We have a temple to break into."

Neither warrior noticed that Trowa was standing behind Duo until they put their weapons away. "Are you okay?" Wufei asked as he dusted sand off his tunic. Trowa nodded as Duo approached Heero.

"Why did you attack Wufei like that? What is wrong with you? We are all friends and we don't need this kind of crap right now." He said as he pointed at Heero with his index finger.

Heero nodded and huffed a sorry to Wufei. The Chinese warrior bowed back in reply. "I am sorry as well." Turning towards Trowa, Wufei sighed. "There appears to be only one way in; the very top of the temple. I say we should wait until nightfall to enter, so that you two wont be so bothered by the heat. I believe the surface of the temple is using the sun's rays to generate that heat..."

Growls from Shinigami invaded the warriors' conversation. They watched as each of their beast started to face the temple. Shinigami's pitch black bat wings fanned out as he continued to growl in the direction of the temple. His left wing touched the long outstretched one of Wing. Wing snorted harshly as she stared at the temple. The feathers of her wing seemed to intertwine with Nanashi's, as he stood to her left. Nataku stood behind all the other beasts as she used her long scaly body to stand and outstretch her wings over them. Her wingspan caused a shadow to fall over Shinigami, Wing and Nanashi.

All the warriors stood still as they searched the desert with their eyes. "I don't see anything. What has them so spooked?"

"I don't know Duo, but be ready," Heero said. Trowa was the first to draw his weapon. He pulled a long wooden bow from a brown cylinder shaped bag on his back. Holding the middle of the bow's curve with his left hand, he positioned an arrow onto the string of the weapon with his right.

"Okay really, what are you aiming at?" Duo said as Trowa pulled his arrow back against the string.

Trowa shouted, "Arm yourselves!" All the warriors had drawn their weapons but only Trowa and beasts seemed to know what was going on.

Without warning, the ground beneath them started to rumble and shake. Duo tried to keep his balanced with his scythe by placing the long wooden handle in the sand. As the ground stopped shaking, Duo noticed that Trowa's back was to him, Heero was on his right and Wufei was on his left. He wanted to inquire about what just happened but his mind went blank when Trowa turned around swiftly with his arrow aimed at him. Duo's eyes went wide as Trowa narrowed his and shot his arrow.

He didn't have a chance to blink, as the arrow whizzed passed his face and stuck something behind him. Turning around, the long haired warrior saw a gigantic scorpion fall to the ground. "What the Hell?" he screamed. "I have never seen a bug that big!"

"Well, get prepared. Here comes some more," Wufei said as he pointed his sword towards a squadron of scorpions emerging from the sand. The black shiny shells of the huge insects seem to glimmer in the sun as they surrounded the warriors and their beasts.

"So Heero, if you could count, how many would you say?" Duo said as he began to twirl his scythe with both hands.

Heero grunted in anger as he placed the black handle of his battle axe over his shoulder. "I would say 752 to be exact. Scorpions are venomous try not to get stung. I doubt if any one of us will suck the poison out."

"What kind of a friend would let me die? I would understand if one of them had stung me on the di…"

"That is quite enough Duo!" Wufei shouted as he started to run towards Nataku. The bronze skinned warrior grabbed the end of Nataku's long tail as she took flight. The light green and yellow dragon flew over the large group of black insects that surrounded the others. Releasing his hold on her tail, Wufei landed on the back of one of the scorpions, sword first. After the six foot tall insect fell to the ground, the Chinese warrior removed his sword from the head of the insect. He watched as Nataku swooped down and used her long body to throw back the other scorpions that were advancing on him.

Heero watched Nataku take to the air again only to come back down blowing fire from her mouth onto the scorpions. He could see Wufei fighting his way through the hoard and Duo slicing them in half with his scythe while Shinigami guarded his back. Turning his eyes upward, Heero saw a reign of arrows fall from the sky. Each arrow found its way through a scorpion's head. He knew that Trowa was an excellent marksman even while riding on the back of Nanashi.

'Why aren't any scorpions attacking Wing or me? It is like they don't see us.' Heero watched his comrades fight the oversized insects as he mounted Wing. "Come on Wing, it's time to be seen and heard." The Prince of War and his steed took flight. Wing's feathered limbs moved swiftly through the air as she flew above the clouds. The dark blue-eyed warrior held his battle axe high above his head and yelled, "stand clear!"

Duo and Wufei immediately disengaged from the battle and ran towards their mythical creatures. When Shinigami, Nataku and their riders joined Trowa and Nanashi in the air, the sky started to grow dark. The wind picked up as rain began to fall. Heero's eyes turned completely white as he called forth the thunder and lightening.

Lightening stuck the Prince of War's axe and caused it to illuminate. Taking his illuminated weapon he launched it downwards causing it to spin wildly towards the Earth. When the axe landed in the sand, bolts of lightening sparked from it. The bolts scattered across the desert hitting the remaining scorpions. The scorpions seem to seizure as the electricity surged through them. One by one, they began to fall over and curl up.

Duo smiled brightly as the sky cleared up and revealed a desert full of dead insects. "Wow, I am truly impressed. You really know how to step on roaches."

"Really, he must have missed one." Wufei said after Nataku landing in the sand.

"I know, but Fe Fe I would miss you."

"Wufei! My name is Wufei and I would suggest that you not forget it if you want to keep your tongue." Wufei jumped down from his beloved dragon and held up his medallion. "Nataku, return! You deserve your rest."

"I wish I could lock you up in a medallion," Duo said under his breath. "Shinigami, return!" Duo watched the other two warriors call their beast back. Duo sighed and turned his violet eyes on Trowa. "So what's the plan?"

While the warriors talked about their plans for attack on the temple, one lone Prince made plans of his own. Quatre sat on the floor with his legs crossed in deep meditation. 'Why am I still alive? Why did a phoenix attack my kingdom? Why would it?'

'In order to protect you my Prince.' Quatre didn't move or panic. The new voice that was now inside his head felt warm and comforting. He did feel a little silly at having another conversation with a voice inside his head.

He sighed and relaxed himself so he could fall deeper into his meditative stance. 'Who are you?'

'I am the child of fire, the mother of heat and the servant of the one who bore you.'

'Who?'

'Your blessed Mother.'

'How…Why?'

'Your life was in danger. Due to her punishment, you can never know her love or experience the resting place of those with a pure heart. If you were killed your soul would never know peace for neither Heaven nor Hell can welcome you. Since your Mother resides in Heaven, your soul is forbidden to enter the Kingdom of Light and your pure heart will cause the doors of Hell to lock you out. Your soul would wonder the Earth, as a shadowy figure even when Earth is no more. I was sent to protect you.'

'Then why did you attack my kingdom? Why didn't you protect my father?'

'Your father's death was written; I have no control over that. Your death is written as well.'

'Written? What does that mean? If my fate is the same as my father's, why am I still alive?'

'For I will be the reason of your death. Only a phoenix can consume an angel.'

'I am no angel!'

'But you are. Your mother is an angel and your blood is heavenly. Traitors have summoned me to kill you and your soul, but unbeknownst to them I will resurrect you as well. I have lived a long time. My death is written on the same hour as yours. I will ignite our surroundings and we will burn fiercely and be reduced to ashes, from which a new and young phoenix will arise. That phoenix will be you my Prince. You will be born again as the Phoenix Prince. You will be a burning soul that will never wonder. You will be a soul of purpose and destiny. Unimaginable powers will flow through your veins, empathy will invade your heart and your tears will cure the sick. You will be seen as a threat to all the gods, angels, demons and monsters who bow before the Lord of Light. For the Lord of Light has made you in a reflective image and has plans for you. You will become your own trinity; human, angel and phoenix.'

'This is all too much. Do I have a choice? Who has the right to decide my fate?'

'The Lord of Light, of course. The Lord of Light is above all and can change one's fate with only a blink. As for a choice, The Lord of Light has given you a second chance and a future due to your pure heart.'

Quatre's mind was flooded by the last words of his dying father. "…beware of the great fiery beast. Do not let the beast consume your heart." Quatre's body shook violently as tried to open his eyes. With every try, his body doubled over in pain. He sighed and stopped trying to open them.

'Will you consume my heart?'

'No, I have no control over your free will. The Lord of Light has given free will to all. It is up to you if you let the powers consume your heart. As I said before, The Lord of Light can change one's fate, but only you can direct it.'

'I do not want this.' The other voice didn't answer him. He felt a sense of emptiness as he searched his mind for the phoenix. The phoenix was gone. He curled up into a ball on the cold floor. Tears fell from his eyes as he thought about his fate. 'Am I to die like this; alone and scared with a soul that can never enter a place I send my prayers to. I feel so alone.'

'Don't, for I am here to save you my Prince.' That voice. It was that voice again. Quatre shot open his eyes but was greeted with an intensifying pain. He fought the burning spasms that threaten to destroy his mind and body. Opening his eyes again, he realized that the room was engulfed in flames. The fire was everywhere. There was no escape and no relief from the heated pain.

The fire bit into his skin and bones and evaporated any tears that would dare fall from his eyes. He closed them and focused on that voice. His soul hugged the presence of that voice.

'Trowa, is that you?'

'Yes it is my Prince.'

Quatre struggled against his dying soul in order to talk to Trowa. 'I want to thank you for your valiant efforts. I am afraid it is to late for me. Please protect my kingdom and remember me as Quatre.'

'Quatre, it is not to late; I will save you.'

Quatre felt himself smile for no one except his father had ever said his name. Pain shattered the last resistances of his soul. With his last breath he whispered, "Thank you."


	5. His name

I love Gundam Wing. Oh I do not own the G boys or the names I use in my fic they belong to whoever made them. I am sorry I dont know who you are.

What is in a name

I dont play the sue me game

If it is me you want to blame

Remember I dont have money cus I'm lame

AU, fantasy, and action - Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei, are all warriors in a mythical world full of danger, monsters, and gods. They embark on a journey to capture the Golden Phoenix and rescue the Prince of Sandrock. 3x4 and 1x2

This chapter is dedicated to BigSister2, Yaoi Mistress, Nolwe II, Wolfje, tyleet88, Maskelle, Yura Dark Angel of Death, Ai no miko500, RurouniTriv, Annoyerdanny, Solo, Sophonisba, Phantom MousE, D-chan, DemonikDreamer, and Sekari. Thank you for taking the time to review and encourage me to write more.

"…" Talking

'…' Thoughts

/…/ Flashbacks

**The rise of the Golden Phoenix Part 5**

**by Markanovanlink**

Heero, Duo and Wufei watched as Trowa clutched his head and screamed no. Duo reached out to his friend but was pushed aside. Trowa had pushed pass him and made a mad dash towards the temple. The other warriors ran after him. "What the Hell is wrong with him?"

"I don't know Duo, but we have to stop him." Wufei said as he quicken his run into a sprint. He threw his sword into the sand so it wouldn't weigh him down. He focused on not letting the sucking action of the sand slow him. Something was telling him they should take cover immediately. Something deadly was about to happen. He felt himself scream Trowa's name as he tackled him down onto the sand.

Trowa never felt rage towards his friends before, but there is a first time for everything. Why couldn't they understand he needed to get inside that temple pronto? Laying face down in the sand he twisted his body so he could face Wufei. He fought the urge to punch him so he struggled against his comrade's hold.

"Hold him down!" Wufei shouted as Duo and Heero caught up. They both held the green-eyed warrior down on his knees as Wufei got up on his feet. He stood in between the other warriors and the temple. Without warning, the temple started to erupt with explosive flames that sent stone and sand careening into the desert.

"Nataku, I need you." The long light green and yellow dragon emerged from his medallion. She coiled her body around the warriors protectively as the temple exploded.

Trowa had stopped struggling and hung his head in the darkness that was caused by Nataku's body and wings. 'I am too late.' Heero had let him go, but Duo still had a hand on him. He laid his back against the cold scaly fortress that was protecting them from the fiery explosion. 'Quatre.'

The explosion was followed by more explosions. The noises from the explosions seem to echo in their heads. Wufei turned towards Trowa with anger written on his face. "What is wrong with you? You knew that place was going to blow and take everything with it. Why would you risk your life like that?"

Trowa sighed. "I am sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Heero huffed angrily. "You are damn right you are sorry. Your life is your own to do with as you please. But ours are another matter. Duo and I are semi-gods not gods, we can be killed the same way a mortal can. How could you endanger us and Wufei? Do you have any loyalties left?"

"That is enough." Duo whispered as he pulled Trowa into his arms. He could feel his friend's despair. 'Why are you in such a rush my friend? What forces have enchanted you?'

"And you. You continue to pacify this mortal. Why? At least with Wufei I know where his loyalties lie. He has been a trusted servant to my father and I for centuries. What of him, what of Trowa. You still coo over him even after he put your life in danger. He cares for no one but himself. You are the only person on this planet that cares whether he breathes or not but he chose not to return the fervor. You could have been killed."

Trowa remained quiet as he broke away from Duo's embrace. He got up to his feet and approached Heero. He stood 2 inches away from him and tilted his head down. Green orbs stared down fiercely into dark blue ones. "Don't you ever question my loyalty to Duo. I would risk my very soul if it meant it would save his own." He shifted his eyes towards Wufei. "I did not know the temple would blow. The question should really fall on you. How did you know it would?"

Wufei sighed and looked at the sand that stained the bottom of his white pants. "I don't know. It was like something was warning me."

Trowa backed away from Heero and knelt beside Duo on one knee. "I am sorry if I have caused harm to befall on you. I been having these strange sensations that I can not fight. Please forgive me."

"Do not bow down to me. I am not your master, nor your king. I am your friend. It is okay. We all do or say things we don't mean." Duo turned his eyes on Heero and narrowed them. "Aren't I right Heero." Heero stiffen and said nothing. "So Trowa, can you tell me what this strange sensation is."

Before he could respond, Nataku started to unwind herself from the warriors. Wufei thanked his old friend and let her return into his medallion. They all looked around and saw black soot all over the sand. The black residue spread out for miles around. Even the scorpions were reduced to ash. Wufei cursed under his breath as he thought about his sword.

Duo remembered that Wufei threw his sword down so he could catch up with Trowa. "Don't worry Fe Fe. I will find your sword." He took out his medallion and called Shinigami. When Shinigami emerged, Duo whispered into the ear of one of his three heads.

Wufei nearly jumped out of his skin when the horse sized dog began to sniff him. Wufei watched as Shinigami spread his huge bat wings out and wagged his bobbed tail as he sniff around the sand. He began to jump around the sand leaving golden paw prints in the black ash. He took off running and stop dead in his tracks so he could sniff around. Soon he began to dig up sand and soot and barked with excitement. The three heads fought over an object until the middle one won out. Shinigami raced back and dropped a long double edge sword at Duo's feet. He pick up the weapon and watched as Shinigami wagged his little round bump for a tail. He threw the sword as far as he could and watched Shinigami run after it.

"What the… Why did you do that? My sword is not a toy for your mutt."

"Aw, Fe Fe lighten up. He just wanted to play." Shinigami brought back the sword to Duo. He picked it up and handed it back to his comrade.

"That is nasty, now there is dog drool all over my sword." He huffed as he wiped his sword off with his tunic. "Stupid dog."

"I don't go around disrespecting your snake."

"She is a dragon and he is a mutt that will chase anything." Wufei threw his canteen in the direction the temple use to be in order emphasis his point. Shinigami took off running after the canteen. "See."

Shinigami ran back to Wufei and handed him an ax. "I will admit that he isn't a dumb mutt." He patted Shinigami's heads and handed the ax to Duo. Shinigami took off running again as Duo gave Heero his battle ax back.

"You shouldn't leave your toys lying around. Someone could have tripped over it…" Loud barking caused Duo to divert his attention to Shinigami. "What is it boy? Did you find something?"

Shinigami began to dig into the ground and bark wildly. Duo sighed and started to walk towards him. 'What could he be digging up? I hope it's not that phoenix. I am really hungry and I hate to fight on an empty stomach. A nice long bath would be nice too. I am really sticky after all this heat and sand…what the…'

Duo's thoughts froze as he looked at what had Shinigami so excited. "Guys!" He yelled as he fell to his knees beside Shinigami. He began to franticly dig through the sand and soot. His hands clawed at the sand that was covering the face of a young man. 'He must have been in the temple when it exploded. Lord of Light, don't let my Father claim him.'

Trowa was the first to reach him. "Duo, what's…" His words caught in his throat. It was the Golden Prince. It was Quatre. Trowa fell to his knees beside Duo and helped him to pull the Prince out of the sand and soot. Wufei and Heero arrived just as Duo started to check for a pulse.

All was silent as Duo stopped checking for vitals. He bit down on his bottom lip slightly as he shook his head. "I think he's dead."

Trowa took off his cloak and covered the pale naked body. All the warriors stood, except him. He moved closer to the man's face. He wiped away some soot that was on the man's face with his hand. "I am sorry my Prince. We were too late."

Duo felt his chest tighten as he watched Trowa tend to the dead man. 'My Prince? Who the Hell was this man? Where does he know him from?' Questions began to ring in his head as different emotions swam around his heart. He cleared his throat and said, "Who was he?"

"The Prince of Sandrock." Never taking his eyes off of the Golden Prince, he spoke again. "His name was Quatre."


	6. Lost Souls

I love Gundam Wing. Oh I do not own the G boys or the names I use in my fic they belong to whoever made them.

What is in a name

I dont play the sue me game

If it is me you want to blame

Remember I dont have money cus I'm lame

AU, fantasy, and action - Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei, are all warriors in a mythical world full of danger, monsters, and gods. They embark on a journey to capture the Golden Phoenix and rescue the Prince of Sandrock. 3x4 and 1x2

This chapter is dedicated to BigSister2, Yaoi Mistress, Nolwe II, Wolfje, tyleet88, Maskelle, Yura Dark Angel of Death, Ai no miko500, RurouniTriv, Annoyerdanny, Solo, Sophonisba, Phantom MousE, D-chan, DemonikDreamer, and Sekari. Thank you for taking the time to review and encourage me to write more.

A/N - I know there seems to be a lot of loop holes in the fic. I wanted to wait to later chapters to explain the AU they live in. I hope it is worth the wait. Sorry for taking so long to update this story; blame it on life and the art world. So many art shows and so much wine and cheese. 8D

Read, Relax and Review…

"…" Talking

'…' Thoughts

//…// Flashbacks

**The rise of the Golden Phoenix Part 6**

**by Markanovanlink**

The sun burned its midday rays onto the exposed skin of a lifeless figure. A figure that at one time was the Golden Prince of Sandrock. The sunlight made his golden hair shine, but its light also shown the blue tinting of his lips.

Trowa closed his eyes as he stood up. Heero watched him move away from the body and stare off in the distance. The Prince of War slowly turned his cobalt eyes towards violet ones.

Duo felt trapped in Heero's glaze. He felt drawn to those eyes but torn at the heart. After what seemed like an hour, he torn his eyes away from Heero's and approached Trowa. He put his hand on Trowa's shoulder and whispered something into his ear. When Trowa became tense under his hand, he let go and turned towards Shinigami.

Shinigami started to stare in the same direction as Trowa. His huge bat wings spread out as he started to growl. 'What now?' Duo thought to himself as he tried to see what had his hell beast so riled up. He could see it too; in the distance was a ball of fire heading straight for them. "What the hell is that?"

Heero came to stand next to Duo while Wufei stood behind. Shinigami folded his wings and walked behind Wufei with a small whimper escaping his throat. Duo was shocked; whatever this was had his pet spooked.

Trowa narrowed his eyes as he tried to reach out to the fiery ball. 'What are you?' The ball of fire stopped in the distance while the earth beneath their feet shook. All the warriors fell to their knees as a voice boomed through their very souls.

"I am the final stage of the Trinity." Just as the ominous voice ended a huge gust of wind blew the warriors and Shinigami across the sand like leaves. Trowa was the first to his feet when he realized the beast was going for Quatre's body.

They all had been blown some feet away from the fallen Prince. Trowa ran towards him hopping over the body so he could be in-between the fiery beast and Quatre. Trowa extended both his arms outward and yelled at the beast. "You can not have him!"

"It is not your choice to make." The ball of fire turned into a phoenix and started to head for Trowa. Duo screamed as the bird of fire seem to burn right through his friend. Trowa slowly fell face first into the sand as the creature passed through his body like he wasn't even there. After his body hit the sand, his medallion started to glow as Nanashi emerged from it.

Nanashi flapped powerful wings of golden fur and feathers as he pounced on the phoenix. The phoenix moved out of the griffin's path and into the air. Nanashi gave chase and tried to scratch the bird with his powerful feline paws; only to have them singed. He ignored the pain and continued his attack on the phoenix. Nanashi took in a deep breath and blew out a bright sonic wave of energy shaped like a boomerang. When the energy wave hit the bird of fire, a loud boom was heard. The Phoenix stumbled in its flight but continue to maneuver defensively against the griffin.

Shinigami ran pass the fallen soldiers as they were getting up. He flew in the air to help Nanashi fight the beast. Both Wufei's and Heero's medallions started to glow as their own creatures emerged. Wing and Nataku flew towards the phoenix, while Heero and Wufei stood at awe as the four creatures engaged in battle.

Duo was the only one to go for Trowa as they watched the battle unfold before their eyes. "Trowa wake up. Open your eyes buddy." He started to shake his fallen comrade. Trowa's eyes slowly opened as he looked into the worried face of his friend.

"Duo, am I dead?"

"No, I decided you should live a few minutes longer." He said with a smirk. "But it looks like that bird might not be after our pets get done with it." Trowa turned his attention to the direction Duo's eyes pointed.

The four powerful beasts had surrounded the fiery creature by maneuvering in swirling circular rotations. As each beast made their rotation, they would attack at close range. Nanashi would open his strong yellow beck and screech out sonic waves at the fiery monster's head while Wing used her horns to summon lighting bolts to strike the beast's back. Shinigami's black flames attacked the beast from the left while Nataku's white flames attacked from the right.

The Golden Phoenix was tired of playing games with them and let out a ear shattering shriek that caused the soldiers to grab their heads with their hands. The four powerful creatures started to fall from the sky. One by one they crashed into the dry terrain. When the shrieking stopped, the soldiers look on in horror as their great companions laid unmoving in the sand.

Worst of all the beast had started to descend towards the Golden Prince. Before a sound could utter from Trowa's lips, the Phoenix had burrowed itself into Quatre's body causing a huge explosion.

The darkness that followed felt like a heavy blanket over his eyes. Struggling to regain control over them, he lifted his right hand and slowly massaged his temple. Distorted images perturbed his vision as he opened his lids. As his vision slowly cleared, he sat up and surveyed his surrounding.

Confusion radiated in his green eyes as they absorbed a landscape of wet wild grass, long leafy trees and a slightly rising fog. 'What the…swamp, this is a swamp. How did I end up…the others…Duo!' Trowa sprung up on his feet, only to have a wave of dizziness hit him. Struggling to maintain his balance, he searched franticly with his eyes for his comrades. "Duo…Wufei…Heero!"

The ground seemed to suck his feet in with every step he took. The heaviness of his brown leather boots came from the absorbed water of the mud and grass. He sighed in frustration as he continued to walk and call out their names.

He stopped and looked up at the dreary sky in thought. He felt alone. Truly alone. There was no Duo…pleasantly talking and smiling. There was no Wufei…judicially ranting and raving. There was no Heero…silently staring and hating. There was no one.

There was an emptiness he never noticed before. All his life, he wanted to be left alone. What about now? Alone felt scary. Ever since Duo offered him friendship, he clung to it and Duo. He never really noticed that he was even doing so. Was he trying to fill a void he didn't know he had?

With a strong sigh, Trowa continued to walk through the swamp in search of his friends. A low moan caught his attention as he walked pass a weeping willow. "Duo?" He flew to the braided warrior's side.

Duo rubbed his head as Trowa helped him up off the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I am fine, just a little sore." Duo looked around in confusion before settling his questioning violets on Trowa. "Um, where is Heero and Wufei? Are they okay? Are they alive? What happened? Where are we? Is this a swamp? I hate swamps, they make my hair all puffy…"

"Shut up! You are making my headache worst!" Wufei yelled as Heero and him walked towards them.

"You know what Wufei, I am sick and tired of you being so rude. It is not my fault that something big, round and pointy crawled up and died in your…"

"Enough!" Heero's voice boomed through the swamp causing Duo to throw his arms around Trowa's neck in mock fear. Heero narrowed his eyes at them before turning away from everyone. "We need to find Wing and the others and get out of here. Somehow we ended up here, and if this place is what I think it is, we are in grave danger."

Duo slowly let go of Trowa's neck as a huge smirk came across his face. "Are you telling me that the Great Prince of War…is…how do you say…scared of a little swamp."

Duo's laughter caused Heero to turn around and glare at him. "Duo." The warning tone in the sound of his name caused him to compose himself, only slightly. With a heavy sigh, Heero said, "This isn't just any swamp. I think we are in the Swamp of Lost Souls."

Wufei blew out a deep breath and watched the tiny fog he created with it float upwards and disappear. "This is the Swamp of Lost Souls." His deep brown eyes took on a look of reminiscing sorrow. "I have been here before."

"Um…sorry to sound so insincere, but what is so bad about this place?" Duo's question was only met with silence. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

Trowa slowly laid a hand on Wufei's shoulder as he asked Wufei if he was okay. The Ex Dragon Slayer nodded and then closed his eyes. "Long time ago, I was once married to the most alluring and strong woman of my clan. She was absolutely beautiful. War had ripped her away from me. When the war was over, I took a journey to find this place in hopes of her soul being here.

I was told that this swamp collected the rejected souls of Heaven and Hell. Souls that met their death before their time were turned away from both gates and travel to the Swamp of Lost Souls. I soon found out it wasn't true. This place collects and traps the escaped souls of Hell. These souls fight each other in order to get possession of misguided mortals that happen upon this place so they can escape into the realm of the living."

"Wow Wu, I never knew you were married." Wufei gave Duo a murderous look and started walking away. Duo shrugged his shoulders again and followed. "Hey Wu, how did you get out of here?"

Wufei stopped walking and said, " I didn't." He turned around and looked right into Heero's eyes with a weak smile. "The God of War rescued me," he closed his eyes and dropped his head in shame, "I have been indebted to him every since."

Heero looked at Wufei in shock. He never knew any of this. He never asked Wufei how he become his father's servant or anything about his past. Wufei was the first person he ever considered friend. So why hadn't he cared enough to inquire about Wufei's past. Before he could say anything, a ear piercing scream vibrated through the thick swamp air.


End file.
